This will be Gordhan’s maiden mini budget since his return to the finance portfolio last December.

At its second last meeting of the year in September, the Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) said that while the bank has revised the country’s growth forecast up from 0% to 0.4% for 2016 following stronger-than-expected economic data for the second quarter, the domestic economy remains weak.

All eyes will be on Gordhan, as he is expected to announce how treasury will fund the university fees shortfall. Higher Education and Training Minster Blade Nzimande last month announced that fees for students, who qualify for funding under the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), and the “ missing middle“, would not increase in 2017.

Nzimande announced that universities will individually decide on fee increases for the 2017 academic year. However, the recommendation is that fee increases should not go above 8%. In a statement last month, treasury said it has been exploring different mechanisms of finding the money to pay for the subsidy. The mini-budget comes ahead of Standard and Poor’s credit rating review in December.

Rating agencies Fitch and Standard & Poor’s both have South Africa’s credit outlook at BBB- with a negative outlook, one notch above junk status.

Gordhan is expected to announce National Treasury’s views on growth prospects. On Thursday, the Minister will brief the Standing Committees on Appropriations and Finance and Select Committees on Appropriations and Finance on the 2016 MTBPS in Parliament.

These are unprecedented times, and the role of media to tell and record the story of South Africa as it develops is more important than ever. But it comes at a cost. Advertisers are cancelling campaigns, and our live events have come to an abrupt halt. Our income has been slashed.

The Mail & Guardian is a proud news publisher with roots stretching back 35 years. We’ve survived thanks to the support of our readers, we will need you to help us get through this.

To help us ensure another 35 future years of fiercely independent journalism, please subscribe.

The National Health Laboratory Services finally admitted to a bottleneck last week, after denying there were any issues since April. According to the service, the backlog of 80 000 tests started in the first week of May